FLORIDA TODAY (Melbourne) 21 June 08 Snake fascination not unusual (Keith Winsten)
In my last column, I wrote about some of the snakes we see in our neighborhood and my son’s adventures in trying to save them from an undignified death on the lonely road.
Based on some reactions to this column and from people who see us rescuing snakes, I’ve come to realize that my fondness for these creatures is a little unusual.The attitudes we typically encounter range from a cool tolerance to outright abhorrence.
Just to set the record straight, people are not born with a fear of snakes. Babies and toddlers love the look (shiny) and feel (smooth and cool) of snakes, and will typically try to play with any they encounter.
There are some animals that do seem to be genetically programmed to fear venomous snakes. One creative experiment involved three hand-raised mot-mots, a species of bird from the tropics. The mot-mots were presented with wooden dowels painted in different color patterns.
When presented with a stick that imitated the coral snake’s pattern of red, yellow and black rings, they went ballistic. Since these birds had never lived in the wild or even met their parents, we have to assume their fear response was a genetic and not a learned behavior.
Our fear is a learned behavior, and a good one too, since you don’t want to get bitten by a venomous snake.However, the chances of encountering a venomous snake in Brevard County are pretty small.
I’ve only found one rattlesnake here in three years of searching. However, I’ve had dozens of false alarms by people who thought water snakes were water moccasins. Here’s one of them.
My son, George, had recently morphed into St. George the Snake Catcher for a number of families in our neighborhood who were unnerved by snakes visiting their backyards. In the past, they dispatched the serpents, but now they could call George to the rescue.
One family seemed to be snake magnets. For a while they were calling George on a daily basis.
The last time they called it was because of a massive snake they discovered stretched out on a nearby lawn just after dusk. From the silhouette of the animal, I wondered if maybe we had encountered our first venomous snake and why I hadn’t brought a snake stick. But on closer examination, it turned out to be a green water snake.
This species is known for its bulk and its nocturnal habits. It also has a small pointed head, which clearly distinguished it from a water moccasin, even in the dark.
Because of the snake’s size (it had the diameter of a large cucumber), I told George I would grab it.
Now here’s the thing about catching non-venomous snakes. It’s not their front I fear. It’s their back, since this is where they exude a nasty smelling substance called musk and where they excrete their latest meal when bothered.
So in focusing on the tail, I missed my grip on the front, and the big water snake bit me.And green water snakes have particularly long teeth, so I bled profusely the while trying to hide the blood from the family that had spotted the snake.
Now most animal bites should not be taken lightly. Cat bites, for example, should always be treated with antibiotics. But I’ve been bitten by snakes up to 14 feet long without ever getting an infection. And in a few days, the tooth marks were gone, although my pride remained bruised.
Believe it or not, my family’s fascination with reptiles is not all that unusual. There of tens of thousands of snake enthusiasts all over the world who keep them as pets and even breed “designer” versions of popular species like corn snakes, leopard geckos and ball pythons.
There are half a dozen glossy reptile magazines for sale for enthusiasts, and conventions that draw thousands of participants. So something about these creatures appeals to us.I think it is because unlike wild birds and mammals, you can safely catch them and (hopefully very responsibly) keep them as pets.
Of course there is one habitat where you should be wary of venomous snakes. Based on newspaper reports from the past three years, the only places in Brevard County where people get bitten are the garden sections at big box retailers.
So keep yourself safe from venomous snakes by spending more times in the woods and less time shopping.
Snake fascination not unusual